Reopening of schools; Education Ministry releases final requirements for schools to meet

The Ministry of Education is priming itself for the imminent reopening of schools. Schools will have to meet minimum requirements to safeguard learners and teachers against spread of the deadly Corona virus disease.

A checklist for schools’ preparedness has since been dispatched to school heads to aid in the preparations.

“The purpose of this checklist is to assess the level of preparedness for reopening of schools after closure due to COVID-19 pandemic. The checklist will be used by the directorate to carry out assessment on institution preparedness for re-opening in order to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection and spread among learners.” Reads the document from the Ministry, in part.

Number of available physical facilities, learners and teachers will be captured and sent to the Ministry. Schools will also be expected to have sufficient water for hand-washing.

Learners have been at home since March, when covid-19 broke out in the country.

For disabled learners, there should be adequate tuition furniture which are disability friendly and arranged in a manner that ensures adherence to at least 1-meter social distance.

The detailed document also states that the school’s compound should be fenced with a manned gate.

REDUCED CASES OF NEW COVID-19 INFECTIONS

There has been a push by a section of parents and Legislators to have an earlier reopening of schools. But, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha says physical learning in schools can only resume when rate of infections drop.

The numbers of new covid-19 cases have taken a dip, lately. But, the Ministry of Health says we are not off the hook yet.

The Ministry says whereas Mombasa has seen decline of cases, the scenario is different in the counties of Nairobi and Kiambu; which are on a high trajectory.

A spot check in most schools shows that they will struggle to meet the minimum reopening requirements as provided by the Ministry. The high population of learners makes the situation even worse.

The Community Based Learning, CBL, program is is yet to kick off in most areas; as learners stay away from the proposed learning centres.

The Ministry has, at the same time, disbursed Sh15.4 Billion to schools. This will help the latter to prepare ahead of the anticipated reopening.